Johnston Senior High School

As a alumna of JHS I can tell you that I was the only person to be accepted into a tier one university and most of the kids in the top 10 are at URI and RIC. There is a general lack of authority between administrators and teachers. The school was such a mess 10 years ago that teachers just feel the will to do as they please and most are very unprofessional. There is a MINORITY of qualified teachers at this school and it is sad they have to work here because they deserve much more respect. I made what I could from this school, and as the saying goes, it is what you make of it. However, the school has a lack of rigor and autonomy in their curriculum and extra curricular activities. Students are limited as to what they can do and there is a general lack of knowledge in regards to colleges and universities. A big part falls on the parents in the community for not pushing the district to do more to reform the school. Test scores, SATs and AP scores are below average. This school needs a plethora of educational reform in order to thrive and subsist for the educational demands in the 21st century.
—Submitted by a student

This school is terrible!!! DO NOT send your child here. I left my sophomore year because I just couldn't take it anymore! Constantly getting harassed by the students, the teachers/principals DO NOT take that seriously when they really should. Seeing as how bullying is now illegal in Rhode Island. But there are only 3 teachers that I found who really wanted to work with me, (I have an IEP), the other teachers did NOTHING to help me. I also have ADHD. The academics are a joke. A friend of mine from another state (better rated school) saw my work once & laughed at how easy it was, while I was struggling to even start it. It's ridiculous. Do NOT send your child here. They will suffer.
—Submitted by a student

I went to Johnston High School and am attending a college with a 30% acceptance rate. The honors and dual enrollment classes are the only classes you should let your kid take. Do NOT let them take "college preparatory" (CP) classes at this school. They are a joke. Most of the teachers here are good/great teachers. The student will enjoy a great sense of community as long as they try their best to be a contributing member of it. When it comes to academics, this school is what one makes of it. The honors and EEP classes are actually mere college preparatory classes. They are not advanced. Again, anything below these levels of instruction is a complete joke of a class. TRUST ME. The evidence for this point is the fact that the top 10 students of the last graduating class couldn't score over 1800 on the SAT.
—Submitted by a student

Great teachers, wonderful sense of community. My son is in his first year at a very prestigious college. The high school prepared him extremely well. He said in many ways he finds college easier than high school. My daughter is in 10th grade and I can see the school doing wonders for her also. Save your money on private schools-- students get just as good an education here & they will be able to go to the college of their choice with a great experience behind them. I also love the sense of security I feel knowing that the students are in good hands with a very competant & caring staff.
—Submitted by a parent

I am an alumna and I also had nothing but great experiences at JHS. I had both college-prep classes as well as honors, and regardless, I always had teachers who were dedicated and motivated to helping me learn. I participated in a slew of extracurricular activities, and looked forward to homecoming and the various activities that were offered year round. I was accepted to the university of my choice, am in grad. school and have a rewarding job thanks to the dedicated teachers at JHS! As far as blame being put on teachers regarding student's not learning what they should be: if a child does not want to be at school, and does not want to learn-they're not going to learn. The majority of that blame cannot be attributed to the teachers. Instead of placing the blame on others-intiative should be taken in the home to hold the kids accountable.
—Submitted by a student

I am an alumni of Johnston High School and have had nothing but great experiences. My son recently graduated from Johnston and the teachers did nothing but make sure my son graduated because of his disability with learning. Everyone has their own opinion on Johnston High School and I feel as though people degrade it for no reason!
—Submitted by a parent

Horrid school, most classes are below age level. Everything is old and falling appart, it is disgusting.
—Submitted by a student

Johnston is a great high school that is too often under-rated. The courses offered in the honors program are top-notch. Many students graduate with numerous college credits. Higher ranking students have gotten accepted to the best colleges in the country. The sense of community and pride at this school is also very impressive.
—Submitted by a parent

I recently graduated from Johnston High School, and have only had good/great experiences in my high school career. Unfortunately some of the problems with the school are often attributed to the staff, while most the problems that the school endured (while I attended) were issues of the budget and school committee that have been resolved. I am now in college and planning to attend graduate school soon, and believe that Johnston did a fantastic job of college preparation. Some parents have the misconception that this is a bad school with a below par staff. The truth of the matter is that there are a good amount of amazing, dedicated teachers that are happy to go to work in the morning. Do not waste money on a private school, often times the child ends up going to college with friends that are graduates of graduates of those private schools that parents contemplate.

my child graduated from Johnston High and is now struggling in college. I don't feel the school prepared her for college.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of an 11th grader that has an IEP. The school has come a long way trying to address all of its problems. However they need to address the overwhelming problems with teachers not following IEP's and 504 plans. We have children failing because of the teachers not following the IEP's and 504 plans. Some class rooms have two teachers [regular ed and special ed] and the children in these classes are still having haveing trouble because the teachers are not doing thier jobs effectively. There are a few teachers that are great and i applaud them for doing their jobs so effectively. The school administration needs to make all teachers do their job and follow all of the laws or get rid of the teacher. It is a shame that teachers can tell you that they dont have to do something because its not in their contract.
—Submitted by a parent

Johnston High School needs some help lets just say that. Not even including the fights, harassment, and sometimes fires that happen on a everyday occurence. This school used to be top-notch but now it is on lock down. The only problem is that the staff things that the school is on lock down but it really isn't. Kids everyday leaving early coming in late and sometimes not even showing up are getting punished by a meansly 2 week social suspension. The thing is that most of the people don't even goto the social events, so the suspension means nothing to them. This school needs alot of help and until a great staff comes in and picks this school off the ground, this school will continue to be one of the most helpless schools in the state!
—Submitted by a teacher

I am a Junior at the Johnston High School and I feel as though the school has come a long way. JHS sets its goals and soon achieves them. I am very involved in the schools extra curricular activities. I obtain rewarding and well earned grades because I strive to do my best at JHS and I try my hardest to represent the school in a positive manner. In the past, there was a lack of communication between the school and parents, but I would like to make you aware that letters have always been sent home with students, they may not have made it as far as home, but letters were handed out in homeroom whenever a parent needed to be notified about something that was going on at the High School that they needed to be aware of.
—Submitted by a student

I am a student at the High School and there are nights where I don't have WRITTEN homework, but we are instructed to read ahead in our books so that the next day in class it will be easier for us to understand the subject. There are nights that I am bombarded with homework and there are other nights where I have about 2 hours of homework. The amount varies, but I have some sort of homework every night. I feel safe at the high school and as a student, I feel as though the principal and teachers do their jobs, as well as the students.
—Submitted by a student

I have a student entering 10th grade this year. I was hoping that this year was going to be better than last. There is a great lack of communication between teachers and parents and there is a major problem with teachers following IEP and 504 plans. I have been very disapointed to learn that teachers do not seem to care enough about following state laws when it comes to our children and their learning disabilities. I do need to give credit to the guidance department. They went above and beyond their duities to help my child achieve her goals last year. I also feel that the students should be taught information prior to be given assignments to do at home. All of our children are in school to learn and then review at home, not try to learn at home and then review at school.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a Johnston high school 9th grade student and there is nothing wrong with the school. Even though the last few issues at jhs have been bad, it is a decent school. There is a distinct communication between parents and teachers, which by the way are mostly very good teachers. My older sister had no problems and I am sure that I wont either in my johnston high school career.
—Submitted by a student